


slow and steady

by ifreet



Category: due South
Genre: Gen, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-04-02
Updated: 2008-04-02
Packaged: 2017-10-10 10:25:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/98690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ifreet/pseuds/ifreet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For ds_aprilfools.  Ray Kowalski, post-Stella.</p>
            </blockquote>





	slow and steady

Sam wedged his shoulder under Ray's arm and helped him out of the bar. Ray didn't want to leave, exactly, because he couldn't go home. He didn't have a home anymore. Without Stella, he only had an apartment. Apart-ment. _Apart meant apart, Ray._

"Apartment," he told Sam seriously.

"Right," Sam sighed and shoved him into the passenger side of his car, head cupping around the back of his head automatically. Ray figured he understood--he'd gone through his own divorce years back. Back when Ray was just a rookie, and the detective had taken him under his wing. Sam Franklin was good people.

Sam got in the car, too, and they sat there a minute. It was nice.

"Ray? Where's the apartment?"

Oh, right. He frowned and thought about it. The address was right there, and he could _almost_ remember it. "It's near... " Nope, not coming. He knew where the old apartment was, but he wasn't supposed to go there.

Another gusty sigh. Sam turned the ignition, pulled into the light night traffic. Ray watched the street lights go by until he was dizzy, then closed his eyes to fight down the nausea.

When he opened them, the car had stopped, and Sam was already around on his side, pulling him out. They lurched to an unfamiliar building. Sam had the keys. When they staggered into the apartment, Ray still didn't recognize anything. And not just 'cause the stuff was all in the wrong places, like it had been all week. No, this was new stuff. Not his stuff. Oh.

Sam dropped him onto his couch, vanished. He reappeared a moment later with a blanket that he dropped beside Ray. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll take you back to the car in the morning."

The meaning seeped in just after the words, like his head was wrapped in cotton. Sam was already turning away when he managed, "Thanks."

Sam put a hand on his shoulder. "It gets better. I know you don't think so now, but it will, slowly and steadily. But you can't keep doing this. Find a hobby, get a pet, something. Stay away from the bar."

Ray lay down and the lights went out. He thought maybe he'd like a turtle.


End file.
